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Although plenty of musicians have taken inspiration from high fantasy, rarely any have genuinely embodied the enchanted existence. Sure, they might embellish their album covers with creatures, imps, chained damsels and strong fighters, but has any musician ever needed to retrieve a missing horn from a unicorn from a wintry landscape in the heart of winter? Has a guitarist spent time straining their eyes in the rear of a tour bus, fixing their own armor?

Immersed in the Legend

Established in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and more as they embody their epic fantasies. From medieval-inspired, memorable tunes to stunning performances, outfit creation, visuals and record designs, they’re not just a metal band as a total artistic immersion.

“It wasn’t planned to be a themed musical group,” says singer, guitar player, sword-carrier and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle drives from a packed show in a German city to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they have multiple performances in the UK this week. “We played two shows and received an offer on a October show, where I decided spontaneously to put on an outfit. It was all completely self-made, but we had a blast and the atmosphere was unforgettable. I thought, ‘What if we could have so much excitement always?’”

Growth of the Group

From that point on, the ensemble – which includes Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” joined by a medic from history (bassist), haughty vampire (guitarist) and mysterious druid (drummer) – continued forward. The Bestiary, the band’s second album, brings to mind of legendary heavy bands joining forces to fight their path through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a heroic opus that sets them on the verge of greater success.

The release was a first for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her collaborators. “This helped a more powerful record,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – I’d always felt a specific level of accomplishment as a female in music working independently. There have been numerous occasions where after a show and a person will say, ‘The other members create awesome guitar parts!’ and I respond, ‘Wait – I created all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As the band’s stature has increased, so has the scope of their visual elements. “My philosophy is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. She was originally on path for a fine art degree before pulling back at the idea of heavy loans. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to apply artistry,” she says. “Whether it’s creating face coverings, outfit planning, figuring out video editing music videos … it’s all stuff I have no experience with, but it’s enjoyable to figure it out as we go.”

As if developing the group’s detailed mythology (“Everyone’s urging me to write it down because everything is stored,” Riley says, indicating her head) and making clothing wasn’t enough, the singer taught herself how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she admittedly entrusted her all-new scale armor design to a professional in the city. “It seems like actual armour,” she grins.

Fan Response and Obstacles

What about the crowd? They embraced the stage blood, toy blades and handmade props with as much gusto as the band. “We played a gig in Detroit and it resembled a Renaissance fair,” recalls Riley with affection. “Everyone was in capes, wool garments, metal wear.”

That’s not to imply, nevertheless, that touring existence as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been smooth. “Everything is frequently damaged and gets repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Moreover I come up with endless ideas as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we’re traveling in a bus with only so much space. It’s an interesting challenge to give the sense like a larger-than-life story, then store it into a small space.”

We faced further organizational challenges that didn’t affect mythic characters. “We did have an ‘disastrous’ moment when we appeared at a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my luggage – which had my blade in it – went missing,” says Riley. “It was a terrible situation, because there is no an different option of the show where I am without a blade.”

Goals Ahead

As a genuine leader, Riley is eager about the what’s next. “I want to go to the top – let’s do stadiums,” she says. “The key element that’s deeply meaningful to me is keeping the handmade style, ensuring everything is crafted by us. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, whatever we scale to. Additionally, I wish to make an entrance on a mythical beast at all performances. You know how legends use vehicles in concerts? Exactly that, but with a unicorn.”